In March 2008, Catt Fields White had a meeting with Little Italy Association board members and told them she wanted to open a farmers market in the community. Their response was less than enthusiastic.

“They said, ‘There’s no room for another weekend market. You’ll never be able to pull it off,’ ” White recalls, with a wry smile.

Not only has White “pulled it off,” she has also made the market a hot spot for locals and tourists alike. The Little Italy Mercato, which currently has 140 farmers and vendors spread out over six blocks on Date Street, boasts more than 10,000 visitors every week and has become a bona fide tourist destination.

According to White, the Mercato has been included in some “Top 10 Things To Do in San Diego” travel articles. “It’s crazy,” she says. “We’ve been covered by Canadian press, in-flight magazines, the Japanese media. We’ve really become a destination market.”

And this Saturday, it’s a destination celebration. That’s when the Mercato will celebrate its five-year anniversary. The monthlong festivities will kick off with a benefit chef’s tasting event at Amici Park on June 8 to help build a new public garden at Washington Elementary School in Little Italy. Other family-friendly activities will include watermelon sculpture by artist Laura Lynn, face painting and kids’ watermelon carving.

“It’s our way of thanking the farmers and vendors, shoppers and the Little Italy community for supporting us,” says White.

Despite the current merriment, there was a time when the Mercato’s very existence was in jeopardy. When White opened the Mercato on Saturday, June, 8, 2008, there were only 40 hopeful farmers and vendors and little foot traffic. It was a struggle to get local residents, many living in high rises, to come to the market. After the first few weeks, several farmers and vendors bowed out.

“About six to eight months into it, I started getting letters saying I should just shut (the market) down,” admits White.

Rather than concede, she plowed forward. “I love a good challenge,” White says, with a chuckle.

She began advertising in local papers and publications such as Edible San Diego, something that simply wasn’t done by other market managers. She opened Twitter and Facebook accounts to promote the market’s farmers and vendors and emailed newsletters. She reached out to local businesses and residents and let them know that she wanted the market to be an integral part of the community. She visited many of Little Italy’s restaurants and invited the chefs to come to the market.

“I kind of changed the landscape (for market managers),” says White. “The farmers’ and vendors’ job was to show up with great products, and my job was to deliver customers to them. That’s my job as a market manager.”

San Diego farmer Lichi Williams of Rodney Farms, who has been with the Mercato since its first day, credits White’s marketing for much of the market’s success: “Things were really slow at the beginning. But you don’t give up on a market, and Catt didn’t give up,” says Williams. “I do a lot of markets, and Catt is the best when it comes to promoting us. She advertises a lot and supports. I love that! We need more managers like Catt.”

Over time, White’s tenacity produced results. “It took probably a little more than a year before we felt like, ‘this is gonna be good,’ ” says White. “It takes some time to get a loyal group of shoppers.”

Today, the Mercato has thousands of loyal shoppers, many of whom live in the Little Italy and downtown neighborhoods. Stroll through the market on any Saturday throughout the year and you’ll find throngs of happy market-goers dancing to live music, reconnecting with friends over green smoothies, and simply enjoying the beautiful, bustling scene.

Herself a Little Italy resident, White says proudly, “Years ago, people living in Little Italy in the high-rises really didn’t see their neighbors. (The Mercato) really is a place where people get to know their neighbors, where they can meet the guy who lives down the hall and have a cup of coffee.”

It’s this connection to the neighborhood that appeals to farmer Peter Schaner of Schaner Farms.

“One thing that’s unique about this market is that it’s such a part of the community,” he says. “Everyone here is neighborly. They take their kids, their dogs; they eat and shop and talk with the farmers and vendors. I can bring my kids to help, and it’s not work for us; it’s fun.”

It’s also fun for market-goers. Shoppers can get their fix with one-of-a-kind artisan jewelry and locally made clothing. Foodies can score everything from artisan chocolates, cheeses and pickles to gluten-free pastries and locally made jams and jellies.

Although the Mercato has a fair number of prepared food and arts and crafts vendors, the farmers comprise the heart and soul of the market. “We’re still really farm-focused. When markets get really big, they get heavy into crafts. We feel like the farmers are what make the market,” says White.

Mary Polito of Polito Family Farms agrees: “The best markets are the ones where there’s a connection to the farmers. Some markets nowadays forget about the farmers and their connection to the community. Catt hasn’t.”